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9/19/2013 4:10PM

Life on Mars? New Doubts Emerge

NASA scientists say they cannot find any traces of methane in the thin Martian air, dimming hopes that microbes might lurk under the protective blanket of soil on the cold arid world. Robert Lee Hotz reports on the News Hub. Photo: NASA.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the ... welcome ... new sub at the yes J live I'm slowing Constable ... you doubts emerge from the evidence collected by the MAS curiosity robot about the existence of life on the red planet's hit explain that it's a was a pleasant when he says will Street tunnel ... saying if ... but only of its thank you Brian much for bring us up so it's a pleasure ... now ... you know for more than a century science is science fiction buff says longingly gazed on Mars is possibly ... a place in our solar system other than Earth itself could harbor some form of life well ... NASA scientists will operate Mars carry us the Rover today ... Dell those hopes a serious blow by reporting ... that they have tried and failed ... to find any trace of the gas ... methane ... in the atmosphere marking the reason we care about this this disease is common methane is a key biomarker ... Ford a forum for biological activity in the ninety five percent of the ... methane in the air on earth comes from ... some form of biological activity ... microbes that ... that that ensued methane or organic decay ... and especially in the last decade in the number of ... observatories on Earth using infrared telescopes and ... even an orbiter on European space Agency from its orbiting Mars ... have purported to detect traces ... clues indeed of methane coming from Mars ... and this is really feel lot of speculation ... that there are microbes there you know in the soil this very cold and have in place ... and what NASA saying today is like ... part Block fellows ... know they've looked on systematically ... on six separate ... test with a ... special leave euro cents today have on board the router ... since landing last August ... and they have not even been able to find a single part per billion ... in the fire ... but with going one up on and and really what does a great Ben Franklin use rates as the Apostle here this is aam Astra biologist Michael numerous masses of space flight Center in Maryland that he ... says you know ... we seen this with the info and stuff and subway sticking with it and its economy the ban on biking down in Iraq well you know nobody is backing down and I don't question their sincerity been ... even before Tuesday's meeting was reported ... there was a lot of doubt about these meetings he's out today is the better team defended now ... and actually tend to contradict each other a little bit ... it says it is though a real puzzle and ... you know the people who are worried most I think today Simon are the ... people who are running the Indian Mars program ... the news is scheduled to launch its first interplanetary probes to Mars ... in part to detect methane ... in a couple of months and thus would be followed closely by half ... a billion dollar mission by the European space Agency and Russians Ross Kosmos ... to also send a probe to Mars ... to find that thing ... so I think is the scientific paper back ... this inability to find a guest or to circulate ... these people are gonna start to sweat ... for interesting out of onshore I will will control the sea of of this until my could price some ... great discussions always a pleasure thank you ...